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Frequently Asked Questions
Are there things you do not fund? Yes.
Individuals
- Grants are not made to reimburse the cost of goods or services already purchased, or for debts
- Grants are not made to purchase goods and services provided by central or local government
- Grants are not made for the payment of council tax, rent or other taxes
- Grants are not made for independent education (e.g. private school fees)
- Grants are not made for post-graduate studies or second degrees, personal development courses, study at private institutions, or career changes
- If you already have significant work experience with a reasonable level of responsibility (what we would classify as a ‘career’), we will not fund further study even if you do not have a qualification. If in any doubt, please call a member of the Grants Team before completing an application form.
- Grants are not made for course fees in cases where it is not clear that the applicant will be able to raise the balance of funds to complete the entire course
- Grants are not made for household goods, household furnishings or general clothing unless it is very clear that these are necessary to ensure success in an existing programme of education, training or employment. If you have an intention to engage in education, training or employment but are not actually undertaking it, you would not be eligible for a grant of household goods, household furnishings or general clothing. Examples of grants which are made include a desk for studying or clothing to attend job interviews.
Grants may be made for school uniforms but undertaking budgeting advice with the Walcot Advice/Support Worker at Centre 70 advice centre in West Norwood is invariably a condition of any grant. A parent/carer contribution is always required as well.
In cases where household goods or furnishings are required to support a child’s education, it is very unlikely that we would make a grant. Instead, the Walcot Advice/Support Worker at Centre 70 advice centre in West Norwood is able to assist with Community Care Grant applications and budgeting for these items or we are able to refer you to a second hand furniture supplier so that you can obtain discounts.
Grants are not made for any of the following purposes
travel abroad, holidays, gifts or toys, funerals, court orders, fines (we do make awards for educational field trips).
Organisations - we do not fund
- anything that is the responsibility of central or local government
- organisations that cannot show they are working with Lambeth residents who are in financial need
- debt repayments
- crisis funding to solve an organisation's financial problems
Schools - we do not fund
- independent schools
- anything we consider to be the responsibility of central or local government
- anything we consider could be reasonably met from the school's devolved budget
- debt repayments
- capital works
What do you fund? How do I apply?
Visit the Grants Programmes page and choose one of the options |
What do we need to show in our application?
Please see the relevant section of this website for further details. In all cases it must be demonstrated that the individual or groups of individuals that would benefit from a grant live in Lambeth and are in financial need. |
How quickly are applications dealt with?
Grants to individuals and small grants to schools/organisations: we aim to respond within six weeks and sooner whenever possible. Delays will be avoided by receiving applications that provide all the information we need. Large grants to organisations and schools (over £5,000) are considered by Governors who meet three times a year. We do not guarantee to take an application to any particular meeting and cannot present applications to the Committee or Board until all required information is received and verified. See also dates |
What happens after we have submitted our written application?
Your application will be assessed by a member of staff according to criteria and procedures agreed by the Governors. A site visit is almost always required for large organisation and school grant applications and sometimes for smaller ones. For individuals, we may follow up by letter, email or telephone. We may also request a home visit or an interview at our offices. |
What can I do if I am unhappy with the result?
In the first instance, please speak to the member of staff who dealt with your application. We will do our best to find an acceptable resolution. More |
Are you part of Lambeth Council?
No - but we know that our former name ('The Lambeth Endowed Charities') sometimes made people think we are. We are an entirely independent charitable foundation. |
Dates and deadlines
We don't have fixed deadlines for applications. Find out how it works here
Crisis funding
We don't provide 'crisis funding' - for example, when projects or organisations working with the individuals we exist to help suddenly run out of funding.
We like imaginative proposals!
We are always interested in fresh approaches towards the individuals we exist to help. Get in touch with a member of our Grants team for a preliminary discussion once you've done some serious, initial, thinking about your idea.
Outputs? Outcomes?
We expect applicants (especially for larger grants) to show what will result from their proposal. We are interested in outputs and outcomes. Find out more.
Need to check if an address falls within our area of benefit?
Grantees must live in our 'area of benefit'. This is exactly the same as the area covered by the borough of Lambeth. Use this external site to check.